On 26 October 2026, 289 of the 1,408 AI training roles that list an hourly rate asked $100 an hour or more (20.5%). 105 listed $150 or more. At the other end, 378 list under $25.
Listed rates differ by field. The tables below show the bands, and the median and the top tenth of each field.
How the listed rates are spread
| Listed hourly rate | Roles |
|---|---|
| under $25 | 378 |
| $25 to $49 | 246 |
| $50 to $99 | 495 |
| $100 to $149 | 184 |
| $150 or more | 105 |
Each role counts once, in the band that holds the middle of its listed range. Of the 1,408 roles with an hourly rate, 495 sit between $50 and $99 and 184 between $100 and $149.
43 of the roles at $100 or more give only a maximum ("up to"), so their rate is a ceiling.
Roles in the five specialist fields (law, medicine, coding, STEM and finance) together listed a median of $80, against $39 for generalist roles. Both figures leave Meridial out, as the Pay Index does.
Where the high rates are, by field
| Field | Hourly rates | Median | Top 10% start at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law | 108 | $110 | $270 |
| Medicine | 106 | $100 | $200 |
| Finance | 86 | $90.50 | $160 |
| Coding | 172 | $70 | $125 |
| STEM | 220 | $69 | $105 |
| Writing | 59 | $67.50 | $100 |
| Trades | 7 | $60 | - |
| Generalist | 211 | $35 | $100 |
| Languages | 427 | $22.50 | $52.50 |
| Robotics | 12 | $10.50 | - |
Fields are ordered by median. "Top 10% start at" is the rate the best-paid tenth of a field's roles reaches. A field with fewer than 20 hourly rates shows a dash there, because a tenth of so few roles says little.
- Law: a median of $110, and the top tenth start at $270. 121 roles are open.
- Medicine: a median of $100, and the top tenth start at $200. 140 roles are open.
- Finance: a median of $90.50, and the top tenth start at $160. 121 roles are open.
- Coding: a median of $70, and the top tenth start at $125. 245 roles are open.
Language work has 1,150 open roles and a median of $22.50. Check the number of open roles in a field as well as its median, because a high median can rest on few roles.
2,605 open roles at 22 platforms today
Best-paid expert roles
For doctors, lawyers, PhDs and scientists: the highest hourly pay listed on the 23 platforms we read. Chosen by pay only, at most two per platform.
Top pay
Terac
Top pay
micro1
Top paymicro1
Referral link: we may earn a fee if you join through it. How this works
Who the high-rate roles ask for
A role that lists a high rate can ask for a qualification in the field: a degree or a licence, and a test before the first task. Our guides describe the roles for doctors, lawyers, engineers and PhD scientists, and how to pass the assessments.
Platforms that show projects only inside an account publish their own ranges. DataAnnotation's home page shows $25 to $50 an hour for generalist roles and $40 to $150 or more for specialised ones (dataannotation.tech, read October 2026). Those are not in the counts above, which come only from the job lists we read. See DataAnnotation.
What to watch out for
- The rate is what the posting says. A wide range such as $150 to $350 counts at its middle, $250. Where you land depends on the project and on your assessment.
- Hours depend on the project. Expert projects can run in bursts, so a high rate with few hours can pay less in a month than a lower rate with steady work.
- 1,136 roles give no hourly rate in US dollars: they pay per task, list another currency or list nothing. They are not in the bands above, and a rate per task cannot be turned into an hourly figure.
- A listing can raise or lower its rate while it stays open, so read the rate again when you get an offer.
- Never pay to join. The US FTC advises walking away from anyone who asks for an upfront fee for a job (consumer.ftc.gov, job scams, read October 2026).
Find the roles
Every open role, sorted by pay: high-paying AI training jobs. By field: law, medicine, finance, STEM, coding. For the same rates by platform, see AI training pay by platform, and for the full picture, the AI Training Jobs Report, October 2026.
How we count
Each role counts once, at the middle of its listed hourly range in US dollars. A role that lists only a maximum counts at that maximum. Company-wide ranges that are not the pay of a role are left out. There is no median with fewer than 5 rates. Method: AI Training Pay Index.
Prepare the interview: Doctor, Nurse and Health Professional interview questions.
Sources
- This site's list of open roles (jobs.json), read on 26 October 2026.
- micro1 jobs portal, read on 26 October 2026.
- Meridial job board (Greenhouse), read on 26 October 2026.
- Mindrift job board (Workable), read on 26 October 2026.
- Welocalize job board (Lever), read on 26 October 2026.
- RWS job board (Lever), read on 26 October 2026.
- Terac job board (Ashby), read on 26 October 2026.
- xAI job board (Greenhouse), read on 26 October 2026.
- SME Careers, read on 26 October 2026.
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